Door lock



L. E. WILLIAMS DOOR LOCK 4 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1952 May 19, 1936- L. E. WILLIAMS d 2,041,099

DOOR LOCK Filed Dec. 1'7, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 e ofzzgge..

May 19 1936- l.. E. WILLIAMS 2,041,099

DOOR LOCK Filed Deo?. 17, 1952 4 sheets-sheet 3l L. E. WILLIAMS 2,041,099

DOOR LOCK Filed Dec. 17, 1952 y 4 sheets-sheet 4 z A' ZZmw/gys.

Patented May 19, 1936 PATENT OFFICE DOOR LOCK Leroy E. Williams, Edgerton, Wis., assigner to Highway Trailer Company, Edgerton, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application December 17, 1932, Serial No; 647,771

1 Claim.

This invention relates to latching and locking means for closures, and it is particularly designed for such closures as refrigerator doors. It is further adapted for use on such doors when em- 6 ployed on cars or vehicle bodies. One object of the invention is to provide latching means adapted to be contained entirely between the inner and outer surfaces of the door and its cooperating wall or jamb. Another object is to include means cooperating with the latch or lock for initiating the opening movement of the door when the lock is released; and a further object is to provide means for forcing the door open in connection with the unlocking movement if the door should be frozen in closed position. Other objects will appear as the description proceeds. The invention consists of certain features and elements of construction, in combination, as herein shown and described, and as indicated by the claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerator door embodying this invention, with a portion of its outer sheeting or panel broken away to reveal the lock-operating mechanism.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same door on a smaller scale asit appears when locked.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale taken substantially as indicated at line 3-3 on Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail view, being a face view of the locking plug in operative position.

Figure 5 is a detail view of the operating connections for one ofthe locking bolts and one of the releasing devices. Y

Figure 6 is a horizontal section, taken substantially as indicated at line 5-6 on Figure l, and showing one of the locking bolts in locking position.

Figure 7 is a detail section, taken as indicated at line l-'l on Figure 6, showing the face of the door jamb with which the locking bolt and releasing member cooperate.

Figure 8 is a detail section, taken as indicated at line 8-8 on Figure 5.

Figure 9 is a face view of the housing and lock-operating hub therein, taken as indicated at line 9--9 on Figure 11.

Figure 10 is a detail sectionr taken as indicated at line lll-lll on Figure 5.

Figure 11 is a sectional view of the lock-actuating hub and lever arms showing the closure plug removed, and indicating the position of the operating wrench or key.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the operating wrench. y

For use' on a refrigerator door, and particularly on such a door when it is built into a vehicle body, a locking device should meet certain special requirements. It should include means for crowding the door to closed position to insure good sealing against heat. Preferably, there should be no projecting handles orother mechanism on the outside of the door which might strike obstructions along the roadside, and thus be damaged. Preferably, also, the locking mechanism should be included within the space between the inner and outer walls of the door and the car body to avoid damage from the inside, and so as not to interfere with loading and unloading when the door is open. Since refrigerator doors are likely to become frosted and frozen shut by the formation of ice, the lock should include means for prying the door open when this occurs. And, of course, the lock should be as nearly theft-proof as possible. The present construction meets these requirements.

As shown in Figure 1, the door, l, is provided with two locking bolts, 2, 2, located respectively near the` upper and lower ends of the free edge of the door. These bolts are slidable atd right an-` gles to said edge, and each of them is operated by a bell crank member in the form of a plate, 3, fulcrumed at 4 on a bracket, 5, which is preferably made as an integral portion of the guideway for the bolt, 2. The bolts are simultaneously operated by means of a rotatably mounted hub member, 6, having a pair of oppositely disposedl lever arms, 1, to which the links, 8 and 9, are respectively pivoted. These links are connected,

one to the upper bell crank plate, 3, land the other to the lower plate, 3, as seen in Figure 1. A partial turn of the hub, 6, in one direction rocks the plates, 3, for protruding the bolts, 2, into locking position, and a turn of the hub, B, in the opposite direction withdraws the bolts. In these movements the arms, l, 1, pass dead center relation to the links, 8 and 9, this being permitted by making the links of telescopic construction with compression springs, IU, Ill, tending to elongate them. The pressure of these springs thus serves to maintain the parts at either limit of movement after they have passed the dead center position.

As seen in Figure 6, the locking bolt, 2, is formed with a beveled or cam surface, Il, adjacent its outer end and facing the outer side of the door, l. This inclined surface, Il, of the bolts cooperates with the inclined wall, I3, of the socket or keeper which is mounted in the jamb I4,

of the door frame. As the bolt, 2, is slid to the limit of its locking position, it crowds the'door into tightly closed relation with the packing strip, I 5, under the lip, I 6, of the door panel compressed tightly against the opposing surface of the jamb. The inner surface, I1, of the bolt, 2, is flat and disposed in a plane parallel to the direction of sliding movement of the bolt. It engages a spring plate, I8, associated with the keeper socket, I3, and when the bolt is withdrawn, this plate, I8, is normally flexed toward the wall, I3, of the socket, but yields to align itself with the fiat surface, I1, of the bolt when the latter is thrust into locking position, as seen in Figure 6, The dotted outline of the plate, I8, in Figure 6, indicates the position which it tends to assume as the bolt is withdrawn; as a result, the opening movement of the door is initiated by the spring action of the parts, I 8, pressing outward against the bolt as it withdraws into the door.

Occasionally, however, because of the low temperature within the refrigerator compartment, the edge surfaces of the door will become frosted, and will stick too tightly to be released by the springs, I8. Therefore, there is connected with each of the bell crank plates, 3, a release bolt, 2B, pivoted to an arm of the plate at the opposite side-of the fulcrum, 4, from the connection of the locking bolt, 2. Thus, when the plate, 3, swings to withdraw the locking bolt, 2, it simultaneously protrudes the release bolt, 20, from the edge of the door, The end of the bolt, 20, is beveled at 2l, as seen clearly in Figure 10, Vand engages a strike plate, 22, set in the face of the jamb, I4, at an inclination substantially opposite to the inclination of the wall, I3, of the keeper socket. The protrusion of the bolt, 20, thus operates cam-wise, or, rather, with a wedging action, to force the door open, and the pressure which may be thus applied is not limitedto the resiliency of a part,

' asin theV case ofthe spring members, I8, but is determinedY by the force applied to the hub member, 6, for rotatingrit. The protrusion of the bolts, 20,.is accomplishedA by a turn of the hub, 6, in the direction which places the links 8 and 9, in tension, with the key bolts, 23, engagingthe ends o1' the slots, 24, in the telescoping stems of the link terminals. Y

Rotation of the hub, 6, for actuating the bolts, 2, and release bolts, 20, is eected by a removable wrench, 25, having a splined socket, 26, which engage with the splines, 21, of the hub, 6, when the wrench is applied, as indicated in dotted outline in Figure 11. The hub, 6, is disposedv in a special housing, 28, which is set into the outer panel of the door, I, and provides an annular space, 29, around the splined hub, 6, to accommodate the socket, 26, of the wrench, 25. This housing is normally closed by a plug or cap, 30, which is rather flatly convex on its outer surface so as to protrude only slightly from the face of the door, I. Centrally disposed in the cap', 30, is a lock barrel, 3|, provided with a key slot, 32, to receive a key, 33. When the key is turned, a pair of bolts, 34, are projected radially from the barrel, 3|, and past the circumference of the plug portion, 36a, of the cap, 39, for engagement under an annular shoulder, 28a, of the housing, 28, as seen in Figure 3. This locks the cap, 30, securely in place over the end of the splined hub, 6, and prevents access thereto by any unauthorized person. Externally, the housing, 28, is formed with an annular channel, 28h, with an encompassing rim or bead, 28C. 'I'he periphery of the cap, 3U, ts into this channel just inside the bead, 28C, and the latter serves as a guard to prevent any tool or implement being inserted under the edge of the cap, 36, to pry it out of the housing. Thus, the problem of opening the door without first having a key to remove the cover, 3U, and then having a properly formed socket wrench to fit the splined hub, 6, is rendered quite difficult. recognized that the arrangement of the splines externally on the hub, 6, renders it more difficult to manipulate the hub, than if the non-circular formation thereof were internal.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying this invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modications and re-arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, and that the I same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described, except in so far as indicated by the appended claim.

I claim:

A keeper for a locking bolt of the type having its end formed with a surface extending parallel to the direction of movement of the bolt, and an inclined surface intersecting the other to form a wedge-like terminal, said keeper comprising an inclined strike plate disposed to engage the inclined surface of the bolt terminal in its locked position, and a resilient plate opposing the strike plate for engagement with the outer face of the bolt, said resilient plate being bent normally toward the strike plate but having an outwardly exposed flaring lip to engage the end of the wedgelike bolt terminal as it approaches the keeper, whereby the bolt acts to force said resilient plate laterally and said plate serves to hold the bolt resiliently against the inclined strike plate at locked position.

LEROY E. WILLIAMS.

It Will be 1., 

